Elysian Valley, commonly known as Frogtown, is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California, adjoining the Los Angeles River. It has two parks, both maintained by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA). The Frogtown Art Walk is a biennial event managed by the Elysian Valley Arts Collective to celebrate local area artists. Knightsbridge Theatre is a repertory theater company located in the neighborhood. History In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Elysian Valley was home to a number of farms. These farmers carted their produce down the road to sell in the markets of downtown Los Angeles and emerging suburbs like Angelino Heights. In 1910, the city annexed the farmland. In 1911, Southern Pacific Railroad’s Taylor Yard was built just across the river. In 1913, the land started being subdivided for residential development. Sometime between the 1930s and 1960s, the neighborhood became known as Frogtown when swarms of western toads invaded its streets. In 1962, the Golden State Freeway removed a section of the western flank of Frogtown, further isolating it from nearby neighborhoods. Michael Todd, one of the unofficial founding fathers of the Frogtown art scene, has had a studio in the neighborhood since the mid-1980s. By 2014, artists Shepard Fairey, Mark Grohjahn and Thomas Houseago had opened studios in the community. In July 2019, it was reported that Frogtown was undergoing "inexorable change" due to gentrification. With the announcement of a $1 billion restoration project for the Los Angeles River, also known as Alternative 20, many residents felt the pressure of new investment and development in the community, causing them to organize for lower density. This push for low density from within the neighborhood is not new and was documented in an article as far back as 1987. Geography According to the Mapping L.A. project of the Los Angeles Times, Elysian Valley is bounded by the Los Angeles River on the north and east, Riverside Drive on the west and Fletcher Drive on the northwest. The neighborhood is flanked on the north by Atwater Village, on the northeast and east by Glassell Park, on the southeast by Cypress Park, on the south and southwest by Elysian Park and on the west and northwest by Echo Park and Silver Lake. Population The 2000 U.S. census counted 7,387 residents in the 0.79-square-mile neighborhood—an average of 9,354 people per square mile, about the same population density as the rest of